John M. Baker

Counsel

Overview

John Baker focuses his practice on complex securities law and banking issues for mutual funds and their boards of directors/trustees, investment advisers, broker/dealers, banks, hedge funds and other participants in the financial markets.

John is known throughout the mutual fund industry as the creator and moderator of FundLaw, a leading online discussion group that reports developments and changes in securities law, with an emphasis on legal issues impacting the investment management industry.

Prior to joining Stradley Ronon, John was senior counsel for a leading Boston financial institution, where he served as the primary legal advisor to the bank in its role as investment adviser to mutual funds with more than $9 billion in assets.

Following a clerkship with the Hon. Boyce F. Martin Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, John was an associate and of counsel with a Massachusetts law firm. He also served as the former vice president and general counsel of Child World Inc., a 151-store toy retailer.

Creating New Religious Organizations

Stradley's nonprofit practice was engaged by the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, which Pope Benedict deemed a means by which Episcopalians may join the Catholic Church and preserve their Anglican identity.

Trusted Advisor to Franklin Templeton and Its $898 Billion Portfolio

Since 1991, Stradley Ronon's investment management group has served as Franklin Templeton's registered fund and advisor counsel. Franklin is the fourth-largest registered funds group in the U.S. with $898 billion of assets under management.

From establishing one of the first mutual funds in the country in 1928 to handling the naming rights for a major Philadelphia stadium in 2004 to preventing the Nasdaq delisting of a major public company in 2014, Stradley's responsive team of attorneys seamlessly addresses the full spectrum of our clients’ needs, ranging from sophisticated corporate transactions to complex commercial litigation.

We recognize that excellent lawyers can be found in many firms. Excellent lawyers who also understand your business, anticipate developments in your industry, help you manage your budget and staffing needs, connect you with business opportunities, partner with you on community outreach and giving, and assist in educating your staff are a considerably rarer breed. You can find those lawyers at Stradley Ronon.

Stradley Ronon might sound to you like every other big law firm out there: sophisticated clients, high-rise offices and exceptional attorneys. So what sets Stradley apart? It could be our commitment to providing young attorneys with immediate real-world experience. It could be that Stradley services some of the biggest clients in the country but still maintains a friendly, small-firm atmosphere. Or it could be that so many of our associates and partners are Stradley “lifers” – attorneys who joined the firm as summer associates and have built their careers with us. We invite you to get to know us better.